Voicing girlhood in popular music

Abstract

The young female voice is routinely denied authority: clichés of girls as frivolous, silly, and deserving of contempt prevail in mainstream popular imagery. Yet popular music is widely understood as an important vehicle for allowing girls and women to "speak out" or "make their voices heard." This roundtable will explore the relationship between girlhood and voice in popular music. Drawing on their contributions to a new anthology of essays, Voicing Girlhood in Popular Music: Music, Performance, and Activism, the participants will address contexts as diverse as golden-age Hollywood musicals, early 21st century tween pop, and contemporary hip-hop twerking videos.